Is it permissible for a Muslim to stand in night prayer if he has already prayed the tarawih and the witr?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Hello.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The questioner : How are you, my Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, I am well.
The questioner : May Allah keep you safe.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : We are calling you from the United Arab Emirates, from Abu Dhabi.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : How are you, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : I praise and thank Allah.
The questioner : I hope you are in good health, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, I am well.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah; may Allah prolong your life, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you.
The questioner : O Shaykh, we have a group of young men here who have some questions. We have young men, what Allah willed, who are active here, and they put out a bulletin based on the permissibility of praying the tarawih in eleven rak'ahs, relying on the book that is from you, meaning the book you published, which is the book on the tarawih prayer.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So they summarized it on a sheet of paper and made it into a bulletin and started distributing it. The young men had some questions they wanted to ask you about, and they are confused about them, if Allah wills. So we ask, if Allah wills, from your eminence, if Allah wills, that you answer them.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : Hello, peace be upon you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : ... regarding a person who prays the witr after the tarawih in Ramadan, he prays the witr.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Is it permissible for him to stand in night prayer after this witr, after the rak'ah of the witr?
The Shaykh : This is the standing in night prayer. Whoever prays eleven rak'ahs as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray them, that is the standing in night prayer. There is not two standings, but only one standing. So if a person knows from himself that he has the energy to delay the prayer of standing to the last part of the night or to the middle of the night, he should not hasten to perform the prayer of standing, but rather he should delay it. This delay is better, as 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) explicitly stated when he established the congregational prayer of standing for the Muslims. When he passed by them on the first night and they had gathered behind one imam, he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 2010; meaning: standing in the last part of the night is better. But if the matter is between a Muslim praying alone in the last part of the night and praying with the congregation in the first part of the night, then the congregation is better. And despite all this, if a person has prayed eleven rak'ahs with the congregation in the first part of the night, and then he finds in himself energy from the night, he may pray two rak'ahs following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who used to pray two rak'ahs after the witr.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : As for increasing beyond that, no. Perhaps I have answered you and you understood me?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, what about the rest?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh: And upon you peace.
The questioner : How are you, my Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, I am well.
The questioner : May Allah keep you safe.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : We are calling you from the United Arab Emirates, from Abu Dhabi.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : How are you, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : I praise and thank Allah.
The questioner : I hope you are in good health, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, I am well.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah; may Allah prolong your life, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : May Allah bless you.
The questioner : O Shaykh, we have a group of young men here who have some questions. We have young men, what Allah willed, who are active here, and they put out a bulletin based on the permissibility of praying the tarawih in eleven rak'ahs, relying on the book that is from you, meaning the book you published, which is the book on the tarawih prayer.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : So they summarized it on a sheet of paper and made it into a bulletin and started distributing it. The young men had some questions they wanted to ask you about, and they are confused about them, if Allah wills. So we ask, if Allah wills, from your eminence, if Allah wills, that you answer them.
The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The questioner : Hello, peace be upon you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : ... regarding a person who prays the witr after the tarawih in Ramadan, he prays the witr.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Is it permissible for him to stand in night prayer after this witr, after the rak'ah of the witr?
The Shaykh : This is the standing in night prayer. Whoever prays eleven rak'ahs as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray them, that is the standing in night prayer. There is not two standings, but only one standing. So if a person knows from himself that he has the energy to delay the prayer of standing to the last part of the night or to the middle of the night, he should not hasten to perform the prayer of standing, but rather he should delay it. This delay is better, as 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) explicitly stated when he established the congregational prayer of standing for the Muslims. When he passed by them on the first night and they had gathered behind one imam, he said:
What an excellent Bid'a (i.e. innovation in religion) this is; but the prayer which they do not perform, but sleep at its time is better
نعمة البدعة هذه ، والتي ينامون عنها أفضلThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : As for increasing beyond that, no. Perhaps I have answered you and you understood me?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, what about the rest?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.